Kenya’s media landscape has greatly transformed since the reforms of the 1990s, resulting in increased private ownership of media. The relationship between the media, politics and the citizen has been the most affected by these transformations. Using examples from Kenya’s 2017 elections, this article attempts to show how this relationship has changed and the opportunities and challenges for modern political communication. This article argues that although new trends in political communication have resulted in complex and dynamic political campaigns, they have also resulted in the atomization and alienation of the citizen in the democratic enterprise. This analysis is made against the backdrop of the political economy of the media theoretical perspective and, to an extent, emerging literature on media and globalization and attendant forces on the Kenyan society in general.
{"title":"Election reporting and githerinization of Kenya’s media","authors":"Wilson Ugangu","doi":"10.1386/jams_00023_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00023_1","url":null,"abstract":"Kenya’s media landscape has greatly transformed since the reforms of the 1990s, resulting in increased private ownership of media. The relationship between the media, politics and the citizen has been the most affected by these transformations. Using examples from Kenya’s\u0000 2017 elections, this article attempts to show how this relationship has changed and the opportunities and challenges for modern political communication. This article argues that although new trends in political communication have resulted in complex and dynamic political campaigns, they have\u0000 also resulted in the atomization and alienation of the citizen in the democratic enterprise. This analysis is made against the backdrop of the political economy of the media theoretical perspective and, to an extent, emerging literature on media and globalization and attendant forces on the\u0000 Kenyan society in general.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"58 1","pages":"255-266"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82278058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article identifies the key but common challenges in the regulation of online content in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa (EA), both in terms of the regulatory challenges and the controversies surrounding government legislative responses to curbing illegal and harmful online content. To address these challenges, the article proposes the incorporation of digital literacy into the existing cyber legislations through content regulation and digital literacy, a new concept geared towards empowering the internet users in EA to be not only aware of the existing content legislation but also develop critical thinking skills and abilities to take action on illegal and harmful online content on a daily basis.
{"title":"Regulating online content in East Africa: Potential challenges and possible solutions","authors":"S. Mutua, Yanqiu Zhang","doi":"10.1386/jams_00027_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00027_1","url":null,"abstract":"This article identifies the key but common challenges in the regulation of online content in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in East Africa (EA), both in terms of the regulatory challenges and the controversies surrounding government legislative responses to curbing illegal and harmful online\u0000 content. To address these challenges, the article proposes the incorporation of digital literacy into the existing cyber legislations through content regulation and digital literacy, a new concept geared towards empowering the internet users in EA to be not only aware of the existing content\u0000 legislation but also develop critical thinking skills and abilities to take action on illegal and harmful online content on a daily basis.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":"319-334"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84830194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Climate change is a global risk that has affected all countries, which requires both global and national action. From the domain of scientists, who initially dominated climate debates, climate change has now become a public issue, with politicians increasingly influencing decisions on climate action, thus climate change becoming a highly politicized media topic. Given that media focus on key issues in society, this article examines the positioning of climate change in Uganda’s media as a means of gauging the level of political commitment to translate this global challenge into climate action. Premised within the issue-attention conceptual framework and based on the findings from the analysis of print media coverage in Uganda of the COP21 global summit, the article shows that climate change is not just a local national issue but is inexplicably linked to global frameworks, where voices and actors from the North not only dominate the global climate discourse but also transcend to the national level as reflected in the coverage, with most of the climate news being from foreign sources and foreign political leaders. Journalists are urged to pre-empt the local politicians to be active participants, not passive listeners in the global climate debates, such that climate issues become high on Uganda’s political communication agenda.
{"title":"Translating the global climate change challenge into action as reflected in Uganda’s media","authors":"G. Nassanga","doi":"10.1386/jams_00024_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00024_1","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change is a global risk that has affected all countries, which requires both global and national action. From the domain of scientists, who initially dominated climate debates, climate change has now become a public issue, with politicians increasingly influencing decisions\u0000 on climate action, thus climate change becoming a highly politicized media topic. Given that media focus on key issues in society, this article examines the positioning of climate change in Uganda’s media as a means of gauging the level of political commitment to translate this global\u0000 challenge into climate action. Premised within the issue-attention conceptual framework and based on the findings from the analysis of print media coverage in Uganda of the COP21 global summit, the article shows that climate change is not just a local national issue but is inexplicably linked\u0000 to global frameworks, where voices and actors from the North not only dominate the global climate discourse but also transcend to the national level as reflected in the coverage, with most of the climate news being from foreign sources and foreign political leaders. Journalists are urged to\u0000 pre-empt the local politicians to be active participants, not passive listeners in the global climate debates, such that climate issues become high on Uganda’s political communication agenda.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"17 1","pages":"267-281"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85417165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Half of all Chinese people living in Africa reside in South Africa, a community with a long history. On the surface, the South African Chinese community resembles a quiet community, yet it is actually a highly networked community that has developed networks and support structures to protect itself and to maintain its unique and vibrant identity in a dangerous environment. At the forefront of this is a community organization called the South African Chinese Community and Police Cooperation Centre. This community has also developed a home-grown South African Chinese language media to tell its own story. The South African Chinese media has been all but neglected by researchers and is analysed in depth here in English for the first time. This article examines six months of content, January‐July 2017, produced by South African Chinese media, lifting the veil on news reporting and networking in the South African Chinese community.
{"title":"Networking a quiet community: South African Chinese news reporting and networking","authors":"B. V. Wyk","doi":"10.1386/jams_00019_3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00019_3","url":null,"abstract":"Half of all Chinese people living in Africa reside in South Africa, a community with a long history. On the surface, the South African Chinese community resembles a quiet community, yet it is actually a highly networked community that has developed networks and support structures to\u0000 protect itself and to maintain its unique and vibrant identity in a dangerous environment. At the forefront of this is a community organization called the South African Chinese Community and Police Cooperation Centre. This community has also developed a home-grown South African Chinese language\u0000 media to tell its own story. The South African Chinese media has been all but neglected by researchers and is analysed in depth here in English for the first time. This article examines six months of content, January‐July 2017, produced by South African Chinese media, lifting the veil\u0000 on news reporting and networking in the South African Chinese community.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"77 1","pages":"189-221"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83856610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despite widespread condemnation of assaults on journalists in Ghana and elsewhere in the past, there is increasing evidence of brutality against journalists. When perpetrators of such assaults go unpunished, it fosters a culture of impunity. The article throws searchlight on incidences of assaults on journalists and the ambivalent attitude of the public and/or state agencies towards media freedom. Incidences of assaults and intimidations of journalists in Ghana were reviewed to ignite renewed discourse on the issue, and inform measures on the safety and protection and general development of media. Theoretically, the article is framed along lines of thoughts on concepts of narrative in which there is ‘struggle over narrative’. Major lines of narratives on assaults against journalists are expressed by state functionaries, citizens and the media in competing fashions. Each narrative has ‘competing truth’, which arguably carries for each entity a force of the true and rightful position on the safety of journalists. The article concludes that persistent advocacy by Ghana Journalists Association and media partners can make a difference in influencing positive steps on assaults on journalists.
{"title":"Vibrant and safe media landscape in Ghana: Reality or mirage?","authors":"A. Diedong","doi":"10.1386/jams_00017_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00017_1","url":null,"abstract":"Despite widespread condemnation of assaults on journalists in Ghana and elsewhere in the past, there is increasing evidence of brutality against journalists. When perpetrators of such assaults go unpunished, it fosters a culture of impunity. The article throws searchlight on incidences\u0000 of assaults on journalists and the ambivalent attitude of the public and/or state agencies towards media freedom. Incidences of assaults and intimidations of journalists in Ghana were reviewed to ignite renewed discourse on the issue, and inform measures on the safety and protection and general\u0000 development of media. Theoretically, the article is framed along lines of thoughts on concepts of narrative in which there is ‘struggle over narrative’. Major lines of narratives on assaults against journalists are expressed by state functionaries, citizens and the media in competing\u0000 fashions. Each narrative has ‘competing truth’, which arguably carries for each entity a force of the true and rightful position on the safety of journalists. The article concludes that persistent advocacy by Ghana Journalists Association and media partners can make a difference\u0000 in influencing positive steps on assaults on journalists.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"50 5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75678768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China Central Television (CCTV) launched its first media centre in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2012 and is one of the main actors in the ‘China’s media go global’ campaign. CCTV-Africa’s reporting style has previously been engaged by media practitioners and academics in terms of its discursive practices. In 2014, a new paradigm studying the journalistic practice of Chinese media in Africa emerged. It has been argued that the journalistic approach deployed by Chinese media in Africa, especially CCTV-Africa, is more constructive than simply positive. This article aims to provide a structural analysis on the role of international news in mediating and reinforcing the ‘harmony of interest’ of transnational elite groups with empirical findings from the case study of CCTV-Africa and its constructive approach of journalism. The findings of this research show that the ‘constructiveness’ of CCTV-Africa is marked with the ‘non-interference’ diplomatic strategy of China in Africa which minimalizes the political involvement of China in local conflicts by reducing investigation on causes and emphasizing solutions. Simultaneously, it also produces an apolitical context which encourages economic development in African societies to cater to the grander politics of China in Africa.
{"title":"CCTV in Africa: Constructive approach to manufacturing consent","authors":"Yu Xiang, Xiaoxing Zhang","doi":"10.1386/jams_00018_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00018_1","url":null,"abstract":"China Central Television (CCTV) launched its first media centre in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2012 and is one of the main actors in the ‘China’s media go global’ campaign. CCTV-Africa’s reporting style has previously been engaged by media practitioners and academics\u0000 in terms of its discursive practices. In 2014, a new paradigm studying the journalistic practice of Chinese media in Africa emerged. It has been argued that the journalistic approach deployed by Chinese media in Africa, especially CCTV-Africa, is more constructive than simply positive. This\u0000 article aims to provide a structural analysis on the role of international news in mediating and reinforcing the ‘harmony of interest’ of transnational elite groups with empirical findings from the case study of CCTV-Africa and its constructive approach of journalism. The findings\u0000 of this research show that the ‘constructiveness’ of CCTV-Africa is marked with the ‘non-interference’ diplomatic strategy of China in Africa which minimalizes the political involvement of China in local conflicts by reducing investigation on causes and emphasizing\u0000 solutions. Simultaneously, it also produces an apolitical context which encourages economic development in African societies to cater to the grander politics of China in Africa.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":"171-188"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83127573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article aims to explore the creative practices of young Algerian Internet users related to the production of religious content within the context of the protest movement post 22 February 2019. It questions the place of the Islamic religion in the Algerian protests in the light of religious redocumentarized contents on Facebook (photos). The research is based on the methodological approach of redocumentarization linked with information literacy practices. The results highlight two aspects. Spirituality and faith instilled by redocumentarized photos of religious nature play a catalytic and fuelling role in this popular movement. The Algerian youth information literacy represents the beginning of digital citizen participation.
{"title":"Information literacy practices of young Internet users related to the production of religious content: 2019 Algerian protests case","authors":"M. Tudor, Farid Ladjouzi","doi":"10.1386/jams_00014_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00014_1","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to explore the creative practices of young Algerian Internet users related to the production of religious content within the context of the protest movement post 22 February 2019. It questions the place of the Islamic religion in the Algerian protests in the light\u0000 of religious redocumentarized contents on Facebook (photos). The research is based on the methodological approach of redocumentarization linked with information literacy practices. The results highlight two aspects. Spirituality and faith instilled by redocumentarized photos of religious nature\u0000 play a catalytic and fuelling role in this popular movement. The Algerian youth information literacy represents the beginning of digital citizen participation.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"151 1","pages":"97-122"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77797105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article is about the political communication strategies of the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), a political party in Cameroon which fought for the independence of the country. We particularly focus on the communication channels used by the UPC to transmit political messages, in a context marked by severe administrative repression and restrictions of freedom of press and expression. Theoretically, our article relies on the concept of media system. Methodologically, we use text analysis to map the choices of the UPC. The period of analysis ranges from 1948 when the UPC was created to 1956 when the party was banned by the colonial authorities. The results show that the political communication strategy of the UPC mainly gave preference to letter writing to mobilize the masses. In addition, the UPC owned several newspapers to cover its activities and criticize the French colonial administration in Cameroon.
{"title":"Political communication strategies of sub-Saharan Africa nationalist movements in the era of (de)colonization: The case of the UPC in Cameroon (1948‐56)","authors":"Christian Tatchou Nounkeu","doi":"10.1386/jams_00015_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00015_1","url":null,"abstract":"This article is about the political communication strategies of the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), a political party in Cameroon which fought for the independence of the country. We particularly focus on the communication channels used by the UPC to transmit political messages,\u0000 in a context marked by severe administrative repression and restrictions of freedom of press and expression. Theoretically, our article relies on the concept of media system. Methodologically, we use text analysis to map the choices of the UPC. The period of analysis ranges from 1948 when\u0000 the UPC was created to 1956 when the party was banned by the colonial authorities. The results show that the political communication strategy of the UPC mainly gave preference to letter writing to mobilize the masses. In addition, the UPC owned several newspapers to cover its activities and\u0000 criticize the French colonial administration in Cameroon.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77257969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
There is growing academic scholarship on indigenous language media in Africa. The scholarship has mostly tended to focus on the content and political economy of indigenous language newspapers. The scholarship also suggests that much needs to be done in inculcating indigenous languages and indigenous language journalism in journalism education. Grounded in decoloniality, this article explores journalism training practices in selected institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe. The intention is to unravel the absence or existence of training for indigenous journalism and perceptions of lecturers and attitudes of students towards indigenous language media and journalism. The article also seeks to establish whether there are any attempts to de-westernize journalism, media and communication studies. Methodologically, in-depth interviews were used to gather data from lecturers and students of journalism and media studies at colleges and universities in Zimbabwe. Findings show that the colleges surveyed do not offer any indigenous media journalism-specific modules or subjects. The lecturers, who include programme designers in some cases, have a low regard for indigenous language media. This, the article concludes, will have a knock-on effect on journalism students’ and journalists’ misgivings towards a career in indigenous language media.
{"title":"Training for English language or indigenous language media journalism: A decolonial critique of Zimbabwean journalism and media training institutions’ training practices","authors":"Albert Chibuwe, A. Salawu","doi":"10.1386/jams_00016_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00016_1","url":null,"abstract":"There is growing academic scholarship on indigenous language media in Africa. The scholarship has mostly tended to focus on the content and political economy of indigenous language newspapers. The scholarship also suggests that much needs to be done in inculcating indigenous languages\u0000 and indigenous language journalism in journalism education. Grounded in decoloniality, this article explores journalism training practices in selected institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe. The intention is to unravel the absence or existence of training for indigenous journalism and\u0000 perceptions of lecturers and attitudes of students towards indigenous language media and journalism. The article also seeks to establish whether there are any attempts to de-westernize journalism, media and communication studies. Methodologically, in-depth interviews were used to gather data\u0000 from lecturers and students of journalism and media studies at colleges and universities in Zimbabwe. Findings show that the colleges surveyed do not offer any indigenous media journalism-specific modules or subjects. The lecturers, who include programme designers in some cases, have a low\u0000 regard for indigenous language media. This, the article concludes, will have a knock-on effect on journalism students’ and journalists’ misgivings towards a career in indigenous language media.","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"75 1","pages":"137-156"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84008571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Review of: Journalism, Democracy, and Human Rights in Zimbabwe, Bruce Mutsvairo and Cleophas T. Muneri (2019)London: Lexington Books, 164 pp.,ISBN 978-1-49859-976-4, h/bk, $85.00 (£54.95),ISBN 978-1-49859-977-1, e/bk, $80.50 (£54.95)
{"title":"Journalism, Democracy, and Human Rights in Zimbabwe, Bruce Mutsvairo and Cleophas T. Muneri (2019)","authors":"Munachim Amah","doi":"10.1386/jams_00020_5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00020_5","url":null,"abstract":"Review of: Journalism, Democracy, and Human Rights in Zimbabwe, Bruce Mutsvairo and Cleophas T. Muneri (2019)London: Lexington Books, 164 pp.,ISBN 978-1-49859-976-4, h/bk, $85.00 (£54.95),ISBN 978-1-49859-977-1, e/bk, $80.50 (£54.95)","PeriodicalId":43702,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Media Studies","volume":"77 7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83436398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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